About The Client
Our client is a multinational consumer goods company that produces health, hygiene, and home products.
Challenge
Our client contact, the Head of U.S. Sales and Marketing, had recently taken over the medical sales division and because he was new to his role, really wanted to meet and engage with his sales team in a fun, creative way. And that wasn’t the only first. It was their first time hosting their Medical Sales/National Sales Meeting virtually, and they were very focused on ensuring it didn’t feel like just another Zoom meeting. It had to be lively and interesting and capture people’s imagination.
Solution
Our first goal was to create a unique and fun theme that tied to our client’s brand and their audience, most of which are medical sales associates. They directly interact with medical professionals in doctors’ offices and emergent care settings so the idea of connecting to their work as superheroes in the community led to the theme: Power With a Purpose.
The virtual platform we recommended could easily support the creative execution of the theme and the environment reflected the superhero genre, complete with capes for the avatar attendees. Professional speakers were brought in for several keynote sessions and they fully participated in the fun, too. Many wore capes or full costumes during their presentation and worked the central theme of Power With a Purpose into their talks.
At registration, we included an assessment questionnaire that would later be used to categorize people. In support of the theme, each category was assigned a colored icon – a medical mask, and the mask colors grouped people for breakouts and other activities.
We wanted to create some fun and get people exploring the rich content within the many rooms of the virtual environment. To encourage exploration, we used a gamification technique of hiding icons – such as the client’s brand mascot and superhero masks throughout the platform. We optimized the audience’s competitive nature with a leaderboard in the virtual lobby that tallied people’s points. And it paid off. Participants really engaged with finding the hidden icons, earning small prizes, and ultimately, learning (with some fun) along the way.
There was a significant amount of content in the overall agenda, so we recommended stretching the event over four days (several hours per day) and inserting frequent shifts – change of topic, change of speaker, change of room – to keep people engaged throughout the entire event. To encourage non-screen time, we also layered in optional wellness sessions for 30 minutes each morning featuring yoga, meditation, and a cycling class.
To inspire networking and social interaction, we included a silent auction and celebration time, of course. An award ceremony and cocktail reception was an important inclusion because it was key to sales leadership that their team’s previous year’s sales achievements be recognized.
A pre-engagement mailer helped to build intrigue and excitement for the upcoming event. Participants received a surprise box at their homes which contained sales materials, small merchandise items (think: fidget toys), and snacks in color-coded pouches for each day.
Outcome
Approximately 140 participants from the sales, marketing, and leadership teams attended the virtual event and all the post-event evaluations were very positive. Some of the participants said:
“It ran very smooth, great platform and it never got boring, also loved the Managers’ costumes and the Silent Auction.”
“I’m not sure it could have gone better. I thought the entire program, from the lobby and online meeting setup, to the continuous engagement, was the most I’ve ever been engaged in any virtual learning experience.”
“This was a great meeting! Thank everyone who made this possible! You guys really went above and beyond making this super creative with the boxes and the theme.”
“I thought it was action-packed, educational, and entertaining at the same time.”
Our client stakeholder was also extremely pleased with the outcome, saying: “They loved the meeting! Thank you again for all the team’s hard work!”
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Creating a Fun, High Energy Virtual Event
